1 ®®®® Delaware Comprehensive Assessment System (DCAS) Excerpts from Presentation to Delaware Science Coalition November 4, 2010 Ellen Mingione

2 ®®®® Science Item Reviews Biology EOC (End of Course) October 2010 Grade 5December 6, 2010 Grade 8December 7, 2010 Grade 10December 8-10, 2010

3 ®®®® Item Types MC: Multiply Choice Grid Items: students manipulate the answer space by dragging and dropping objects, drawing lines and arrows, or adding a “point.”

4 ®®®® Depth of Knowledge (DOK) Levels Level 1: Conceptual targets connections and organization of factual knowledge Level 2: Skills/concepts is the basic application of “doing science”. Level 3: Strategic thinking focuses on the ability to apply science in novel, real-world application

5 ®® GradeReporting CategoryStandardsCognitive Level / Depth of KnowledgeTotal #TOPIC Conceptual Understanding Skills/concepts Strategic thinking K-5 Summative Inquiry Standard1 Nature and Application of Science and Technology Inquiry Standard Embedded in Physical / Earth / Life * 10% Physical Science 2Materials and Their Properties 35-40% 15-20% 35% 3Energy and Its Effects Earth Science 4Earth in Space 25% 5Earth's Dynamic Systems Life Science 6Life Processes 40% 7Diversity and Continuity of Living Things 8Ecology * Inquiry (Standard 1) will be embedded equally among the 3 reporting categories

6 ®® GradeReporting CategoryStandardCognitive Level / Depth of KnowledgeTotal #TOPIC Conceptual Understanding Skills/concepts Strategic thinking 6-8 Summative Inquiry Standard1 Nature and Application of Science and Technology Inquiry Standard Embedded in Physical / Earth / Life * 10% Physical Science 2Materials and Their Properties 30-35%50-55%20-25% 35% 3Energy and Its Effects Earth Science 4Earth in Space 30% 5Earth's Dynamic Systems Life Science 6Life Processes 35% 7Diversity and Continuity of Living Things 8Ecology * Inquiry (Standard 1) will be embedded equally among the 3 reporting categories

7 ®® GradeReporting CategoryStandardCognitive Level / Depth of KnowledgeTotal #TOPIC Conceptual Understanding Skills/concepts Strategic thinking Grade 10 Summative Inquiry Standard1 Nature and Application of Science and Technology Inquiry Standard Embedded in Physical / Earth / Life* 10% Physical Science 2Materials and Their Properties 20-25%50-55%20-25% 40% 3Energy and Its Effects Earth Science 4Earth in Space 20% 5Earth's Dynamic Systems Life Science 6Life Processes 40% 7Diversity and Continuity of Living Things 8Ecology * Inquiry (Standard 1) will be embedded equally among the 3 reporting categories

8 ®®®® Role of the Item Review Committee Make recommendations to DOE and AIR Review and evaluate each test question to ensure each is an appropriate measure of the academic content standards at the designated grade Clarify scoring guidelines for machine scored constructed response test questions if needed

9 ®®®® DCAS Science Schedule School Year Dates : Biology: End of Course (EOC) Independent Field Test- random sampling of items given at the completion of student's Biology course Block 1: January 5-28, 2011 Block 2:May 2-June 3, 2011.

10 ®®®® DCAS Science Schedule School Year Dates: Grades 5, 8 and 10 Summative May 23- June 3, 2011 (Red Clay schedule)

11 ®®®® Adaptive and Fixed Form The Science Summative Assessments are adaptive within grade-level. Science does not use the blended assessment model Biology EOC will be a fixed form assessment in

12 ®®®® DCAS Science – Reports Students Immediately Receive: Accountability Score Performance Level PL 1-4.

13 ®® Questions and comments